Pace v spin as teams target first final

Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders have easily been the best sides this IPL. It is not only the points table which tells you that. The other two sides in the playoffs have not been as dominant. Mumbai Indians have won as many games as Knight Riders have, but have not been remotely as clinical; Chennai Super Kings have had to rely on other sides' messing up to sneak in.

Neither Daredevils nor Knight Riders have made it to an IPL final before. One of them will do that tomorrow. Daredevils have traversed the entire length of the points table this season, ending on top following their last-place finish in 2011. Realising that their batting was too dependent on Virender Sehwag last season, they brought in heavyweights like Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor. While Taylor has almost sleepwalked through the season, Pietersen's impact while he was available was huge. The arrival of David Warner has filled the void left behind by Pietersen and Jayawardene has been steady.

Knight Riders' transformation from the side once led by Sourav Ganguly is now complete. They were the target of numerous jokes for the first three IPL seasons but no one's laughing now. A run of eight consecutive defeats in 2009 has given way to six consecutive wins this season. Had Knight Riders not blown a middling chase against Kings XI Punjab at home, they would have won nine in a row.

A heavy-duty Daredevils line-up is up against the only attack to go for less than seven runs an over this season. The venue tilts the contest slightly in favour of Knight Riders. The pitch at the Sahara Stadium in Pune has been a tricky one for batsmen, as Pune Warriors' Robin Uthappa pointed out. "It's the toughest wicket we have played in the country and it's very difficult to score runs here," Uthappa said. Only Wankhede Stadium, among the regular venues, has had a lower run-rate this season, 7.11, than Pune, 7.34.

Knight Riders defended 136 quite comfortably against Warriors a couple of days ago in Pune. Daredevils had chased down 147 in 16 overs against Warriors in Pune. Should be some contest tomorrow. The loser will get another match on Friday to make the final.

Despite the presence of other big guns, Daredevils have still relied, though to a lesser extent than previous season, on Virender Sehwag. Their captain has responded with 484 runs at a strike-rate of 164.62, including five consecutive half-centuries. The slowness of the Pune pitch had made no difference to Sehwag when he took the Warriors bowlers for an unbeaten 87 off 48 balls. Will he smash Sunil Narine tomorrow, like he said he would have done had he not got out early when these two sides last met?

Twenty-two wickets at 5.14 runs an over. Sunil Narine has been nearly unplayable, with even Sachin Tendulkar failing to pick him. It is very difficult to decipher from his release whether it is an offspinner or the flicked carrom ball, unlike in the cases of Ajantha Mendis and even R Ashwin. How will Daredevils tackle him?

That Gautam Gambhir has made six fifties this season and the rest of his team-mates put together have managed three says it all. Knight Riders, though, have managed to win their previous two games without a big contribution from their captain. Gambhir has made lots of runs this season on pitches where scoring them has not been easy. Will he manage to click again?

Team combination

Warner, Jayawardene and Morne Morkel should take three overseas player spots. Will Daredevils risk playing Taylor as the fourth? Will they stick with the allrounder Andre Russell, who went for 51 runs in their previous game? Or will they play Roelof van der Merwe for an additional spin option? They went in with two Indian left-arm spinners Pawan Negi and Shahbaz Nadeem when they played Warriors in Pune.

Knight Riders could stick to the same side that won in Pune and Mumbai, with plenty of spin options in Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan.

Meetings this season

Daredevils won a rain-affected game by eight wickets in Kolkata. Knight Riders restricted Daredevils to 153 in Delhi in the return match and won by six wickets with Brendon McCullum making a fifty. Jayawardene and Gambhir had a heated altercation in that game after the former was given not out when he edged Jacques Kallis to the wicketkeeper.

Stats and trivia

Knight Riders have scored the least runs this season as a team, 2150 in 15 games compared to Daredevils' 2365 in 16.

Knight Riders have conceded just 6.99 runs an over, by far the lowest this season. The next best are Mumbai Indians, who have gone for 7.54. Daredevils have given away 7.73.

Warner and Sehwag have the highest strike-rates this season, 172.02 and 164.62 (min 100 runs)

Quotes

"I told everyone 'give this line-up a year or so and we will dominate,' and that's exactly what we have done."Morne Morkel isn't surprised by Daredevils' improvement this season

13.4 Pathan to Shakib Al Hasan, OUT, caught behind! Shakib tried to cut without moving his feet much, the short of a length ball from Irfan was much too close to the left-hander and Shakib got a faint edge, he walked in fact

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 14:15 GMT

i think kkr will won this semifinal bcoiuse they have spin like sakib and narine are good fightes

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 13:43 GMT

@ Vivaswan. Yes you right. But you know we love Shakib Very much as like you all indians like Sachin Tendulkar. Narine is a good bowler. He is the key of KKR. But remember it - Shakib is more Experienced then Narine....

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 13:41 GMT

Narine has not been able to do anything at international level.He is just doing well in this low class tournament IPL.Shakib has been doing well in test,ODi ,T-20 everywhere.He has 9 5 wicket haul in tests and even in England he gave hard time to English batsmen.So Shakib is way better the Narine.2 years later Shakib will still be the No 1 allrounder,while Narine will be lost like Shaun Marsh,Ajantha Mendis or Sohail Tanvir

Amir
on May 22, 2012, 13:33 GMT

I am bangladeshi and I am also tired of over the top comments about Shakib. He is a great bangladeshi player and a very good international player. For him to be considered "great of all time" as some nuts are suggesting, he needs to do it for another ten years with all levels of competition. Hopefully he will prove you right. Until then, enjoy his talent, appreciate it but don't over do it.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 13:24 GMT

i thnk the 1ly diff bw the sides s gta be narine!! his ovs r surely gonna pay in a crunch game lyk ths,,,

Saeed
on May 22, 2012, 13:24 GMT

With all due respect to Baz & he is doing a good job, but I think KKR's 4 foreigns should be Kallis, Shakib, Narine & TenDoescate. They desperately need batting depth in the middle order without sacrificing their bowling options. Shakib & Tendo will fit the bill perfectly. Yusuf needs to bat @ #4 so he can play himself in. It's amazing that they made the playoff without a contribution from him. If he fails at four, then Shakib & Tendo will still be there along with Tiwari & Das.
1-Bisla, 2-Gambhir, 3-Kallis, 4-Yusuf Pathan, 5-Shakib, 6-TenDoescate, 7-Tiwari, 8- Das, 9-Narine, 10-Abdulla, 11-Balaji.

Lakmal
on May 22, 2012, 13:18 GMT

KKR fans are boasting as if thay've already won the game.Let's see guys.Go DD Go!!!

Go devils go...!!!! surely Sehwag can snmash Narine all over the park!

Manoj
on May 22, 2012, 15:38 GMT

Shakib Al Hasan c †Ojha b Pathan 1 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 33.33

13.4 Pathan to Shakib Al Hasan, OUT, caught behind! Shakib tried to cut without moving his feet much, the short of a length ball from Irfan was much too close to the left-hander and Shakib got a faint edge, he walked in fact

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 14:15 GMT

i think kkr will won this semifinal bcoiuse they have spin like sakib and narine are good fightes

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 13:43 GMT

@ Vivaswan. Yes you right. But you know we love Shakib Very much as like you all indians like Sachin Tendulkar. Narine is a good bowler. He is the key of KKR. But remember it - Shakib is more Experienced then Narine....

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 13:41 GMT

Narine has not been able to do anything at international level.He is just doing well in this low class tournament IPL.Shakib has been doing well in test,ODi ,T-20 everywhere.He has 9 5 wicket haul in tests and even in England he gave hard time to English batsmen.So Shakib is way better the Narine.2 years later Shakib will still be the No 1 allrounder,while Narine will be lost like Shaun Marsh,Ajantha Mendis or Sohail Tanvir

Amir
on May 22, 2012, 13:33 GMT

I am bangladeshi and I am also tired of over the top comments about Shakib. He is a great bangladeshi player and a very good international player. For him to be considered "great of all time" as some nuts are suggesting, he needs to do it for another ten years with all levels of competition. Hopefully he will prove you right. Until then, enjoy his talent, appreciate it but don't over do it.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 13:24 GMT

i thnk the 1ly diff bw the sides s gta be narine!! his ovs r surely gonna pay in a crunch game lyk ths,,,

Saeed
on May 22, 2012, 13:24 GMT

With all due respect to Baz & he is doing a good job, but I think KKR's 4 foreigns should be Kallis, Shakib, Narine & TenDoescate. They desperately need batting depth in the middle order without sacrificing their bowling options. Shakib & Tendo will fit the bill perfectly. Yusuf needs to bat @ #4 so he can play himself in. It's amazing that they made the playoff without a contribution from him. If he fails at four, then Shakib & Tendo will still be there along with Tiwari & Das.
1-Bisla, 2-Gambhir, 3-Kallis, 4-Yusuf Pathan, 5-Shakib, 6-TenDoescate, 7-Tiwari, 8- Das, 9-Narine, 10-Abdulla, 11-Balaji.

Lakmal
on May 22, 2012, 13:18 GMT

KKR fans are boasting as if thay've already won the game.Let's see guys.Go DD Go!!!

Go devils go...!!!! surely Sehwag can snmash Narine all over the park!

DINESH
on May 22, 2012, 12:41 GMT

Without Shakib KKR will not win. KKR will not win without Shakib. Shakib is the trump card for KKR. The trump card of KKR is Shakib. KKR is nothing without Shakib. Without Shakib KKR is nothing. Shakib is one man army for KKR. The one man army for KKR is Shakib. KKR should not field 11 playes for its match against DD. Shakib alone is enough for KKR to take them to final. Shakib played 6 matches for KKR and out of the 6 matches, he won single handedly 10 games for KKR. He is the purple cap holder now. He is now one run short of taking orange cap. If he is included in the Q1 against DD, he will take 10 wickets in 4 overs and effect run out of 4 batsmen and effect stumping of 3 batsman. There will be a big fight among the franchises in the 2014 auction to take Shakib. The minimum bid will be 200 billion US$.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 12:36 GMT

dd is gonna win...viru is gonna smash narine out of the park!!!

Gyanendra
on May 22, 2012, 12:31 GMT

Playing shakib or not thats doesn't matter once Sehwag and Warner find their spot. But shakib is a good player dont put his name in any comparison, still he has to do lot of things for Cricket (not only for BD's national team also for international Cricket)

Any how the KKR fans just keep ur fingure crossed, might be they getrid of these blind attackers of DD by their Spin attack. But its very difficult as sehwag and warner both played lot of big innings while they are playing in crucial matches or you can say when they feel pressure. But we ll have a good match today.

Surely DD will go to the final by winning todays game and KKR will go to Kolkata by loosing from MI in qualifiers 2 at chennei.

Best of luck DD and worst of Luck KKR (not Gambhir my dear), I wish Gambhir should hit atleast 100-150 in next couple of matches.

PlayNjoy..........

shyam
on May 22, 2012, 12:29 GMT

he..fed up with this shakib..
bangladeshis comenting as thoiugh only shakb is the cricketer in ipl..
lol..he is just one ordinalry all rounder likes of jadeja,yoiusuf..no where near to compare watson,kallis etc .. one comeinting he is best all rounder produced by world.so terrible..shakib looks good bcos he only plays in bangladesh. and mostly with underrated playerrs

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 12:24 GMT

For me its not important who wins I just want sehwag to fire against Sunil. ,atleast 4 sixes against him

Pavel
on May 22, 2012, 12:21 GMT

We r wating for kkr to push down into the eliminator

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 12:11 GMT

Shakib gud player ha ha ha ha.. wonder if he gets a place in playin eleven....

Jitender
on May 22, 2012, 12:03 GMT

Delhi daredevils are gonna win today .. the batting of KKR is too weak and bowling is gonna be demoslished if sehwag and warner stays even 1st six overs. Bowling of DD is gonna rip apart KKR :)

bolthaa
on May 22, 2012, 11:58 GMT

@Maruf Ahmed::: I am an Indian.. Just because India won the world cup, I cannot say that we are the best ODI team in the world.. I think you would agree with that. It is the same here. With Kallis and watson around, no-one else can claim he is the best allrounder in the world. Sakib is a good player and he is giving his everything to his team.. But when you come out of bangladesh you would see the world and realize that we need to do more to acheive the great heights.... No offence to anybody.

KH. RAFIQUE
on May 22, 2012, 11:51 GMT

@Posted by Gagg on (May 22 2012, 09:08 AM GMT) Listen you d..k head you better behave yourself.........Where does comparison between NARINE and SHAKIB come from??? Naraine is a very good bowler and best in this IPL and SHAKIB is the best all rounder of current time....So, whats the problem???KKR needs both of them to fire out if they want to win this final qualifier match.....If you have any prob with SHAKIB then just b........r off..............Come on SHAKIB show the world that how good are you>>>>>>>>>>>

Deepak
on May 22, 2012, 11:49 GMT

The fun part here is half the number of comments are about Shakib. You gotta feel that he is the Messi of cricket. LOL move on guys. We know how good he is. Start talking about real impact players like Gambhir, Sehwag, Warner, Narine, Morkel etc. instead of chanting "Shakib Shakib" all day long. We are getting bored here.

Taslimul
on May 22, 2012, 11:46 GMT

DD has proven its talent depth this season and so does KKR. Both of them are really good teams. Will love to see both of them in the final too. For Q1, KKR got slight advantage.

@Haleos: Keep praying for DD to win Q2.
@Luckym: If YKP bats in no 3, then DD will have better chance of winning:-)

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 11:45 GMT

Always i support Shakib & he is a great batsman too. but Narine is only a bowler.previous match shakib has saved from losing , If shakib can't play today KKR will make a great mistake ....

mohammad
on May 22, 2012, 11:35 GMT

CRICKET IS A MATCH OF GLORIOUS UNCERTAINTY. WHICH TOP PLAYER WILL FAIL TODAY, THAT IS THE QUESTION AND WHO WILL SHINE, NO ONE KNOWS. IT IS JUST ONE BALL OR ONE HIT WITH THE BAT. HOW ABOUT THIS: SHEWAG OUT 1ST OVER, GAUTAM OUT 1ST OVER, MORKEL AND NARINE BOTH HAMMAERED IN THEIR 4 OVERS. THE LAST BOWLER AND BATSMAN DECIDES THE OUTCOME. DO NOT BE DISAPPOINTED IF YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER DOES NOT PERFORM. I HAVE NO FAVORITE, JUST WANT TO ENJOY THE GAME. from washington DC.

Sasikumar
on May 22, 2012, 11:31 GMT

Why people are jumping about Shakib as if he is the best legendary allrounder ever cricket history noticed...no doubt he will be an handy player even in todays match but I feel he has to go long way to get the tag as Legend....I feel he is little better than Jadeja....He may be best among the Bagladesh lot it doesnt mean he is best among other teams around the world....So stay cool guys if he contributes for victory today even we will enjoy that is what IPL meant for...

Md Ruhel
on May 22, 2012, 11:29 GMT

No doubt Shakib is the best)patan shouldnt be taken 2day))kkr rock.

Ankit
on May 22, 2012, 11:27 GMT

What Shakib Shakib Shakib !!!!!!! This is too much.He is not a great player thet everyone iis after him.

Andy
on May 22, 2012, 11:23 GMT

OMG ! Shakib - Al - Hasan's discussion going on in this thread too. Man ! I'm fed up of this. Every thread has been hijacked by Shakib-obsessed fans. Narine is much better bowler than Shakib. Shakib is not a big turner of ball either; He just bowls wicket to wicket whereas Narine has got so many variations in his archery. Batsmen who play spin so well are unable to pick him. Moreover, Narine bowls not only in power-plays but also in death overs; And he is NOT only economical but a wicket taker too who gets top order batsmen out. Narine is the best Mystery spinner (Way better than Mendis) right now World is witnessing. Shakib stands no where. Only Ajmal can give him tough competition or may be Swann.
i second this comment
he is as good as another ravindra jadeja like player plays for KKR

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 11:16 GMT

Let's have a competition, Shakib bowls one over to Narine and then Narine bowls one over to Shakib. Then see who scores more and gets more wickets.

bibin
on May 22, 2012, 11:14 GMT

Indian captains dominate the ipl.no foriegn captains in the playoffs..

Mainuddin
on May 22, 2012, 11:13 GMT

KKR should drop Balaji… he is an extremely ordinary bowler.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 11:11 GMT

I'm a Bangladeshi & a fan of Shakib.But I don't like people saying that:Shakib is this!Shakib is that!play him or not! KKR dropped him in few games because of team combination. They are not enemy of Shakib. Please Bangladeshi brothers, think like a brave man.

Guna
on May 22, 2012, 11:11 GMT

Taylor will be a good choice

Shaikh
on May 22, 2012, 11:07 GMT

@luckym: doesnt matter what u think about Shakib being no.1 all-rounder or not...performance shows that he is......n it'll be tough for jadeja to fit in to top-50 i am sure, once again performance shows.........if any indian all-rounder could perform half of what Shakib has done, i am sure that all-rounder would have been made "all time greatest"...lol....no offence plz....

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 11:01 GMT

all d shakib fans
u r over doing things
he's just a good player
i too am a fan of shakib
but u all r just crossing d limits
many r saying shakib is betr than naraine but it isn't d case
even shakib admits that
u all need 2 control urself
he's just andr gud player in ipl nd at international player too

Ankit
on May 22, 2012, 10:57 GMT

I m a big DD fan and equally big KKR enemy.So it gives me all the right to support DD in todays match.But i m not sure DD will be able to win.The Pune pitch does not support pace bowling at all.But it supports spin which is the prime weapon of KKR.Also DD will to find a gud combination for foreign players.Morkel and Warner are secured but DD will have to decide between Taylor, Jaya, and Russell.Russell hasnt performed well in the last match but the problem is Jaya and Taylor have also not been in their best of forms.I dont know with which combination DD will be on-field today but i m a DD fan and will always cheer for it.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 10:52 GMT

SO MANY COMMENTS ABOUT SHAKIB IS ENOUGH TO PROVE THAT HE IS THE BEST......

Ruhan
on May 22, 2012, 10:42 GMT

@luckym: It doesn't matter what u thinks...

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 10:40 GMT

Sakib Al Hasan one of the greatest player in Asia.He play in Ipl this year only 6 match and he awarded 2 man of the match.He also picked 10 wk in 6 match. If he play as same as narine he showed get 20+ wc this year and also get man of the match.If kkr not get Sakib Tody they will get a very lost project.

CSKFAN
on May 22, 2012, 10:18 GMT

Everone in cricketing world knows that shakib is decent allrounder, In IPL he just an another overseas player..thats it..
even shakib will admits this..then why u guys always whinning?..sakib is this!sakib is that!play him or not!bla!bla!...

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 10:14 GMT

I don't know how KKR can be stopped to enter final. Would like to see DD and Mumbai in final!!

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 10:09 GMT

I think russell should be dropped to accomdate merwe as he went for 51 run on the pitch which was ideal for the pace bowling or taylor should be included

Moshiur
on May 22, 2012, 10:08 GMT

Regarding Shakib's batting... Shakib just plays like that. The first few balls are critical. If he can survive and can score 10+ in 6- balls, then he is more confident about his capability and continues to play good. But after reaching around 50, he starts playing more predetermined risky shots like scoop over short leg and gives away his wicket. In this fashion he has been successful in the recent past. Every player has a own game plan. It's Shakib's. As long as he is getting runs in that style, why not he shall continue to do so? If he tries to settle himself after reaching 50, I am sure he will be one of greatest all rounder the cricket world has ever seen.

Naumi
on May 22, 2012, 9:55 GMT

Viruuu gonna smack sakib and narine :P gooo Devils goooo Craks KKR :D

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 9:52 GMT

a better fielding side would save around 20-30 runs which could be a big difference in pune
and as we all saw in previous matches that pune's pitch is best for spin bowlers not seamers, even slow bowler like bhatia could be a success here but not likes of irfan morkel yadav and aaron
so its clear that kkr have an edge over dd since they have iqbal NARAINE shakib and yusuf nd then bhatia and balaji also taking wickets along with a good economy rate
and we all know how gambhir plays a spinner
he's just the best player of spin
so according 2 me KKR gonna win this 1
KKR will thrash out DD nd then they would meet again at chepnauk chennai in the finals which is also a slow turning wicket
and let me tell you if kkr won the toss then delhi would have not a single of winning this game
the team which wins the toss would surely bat first and put runs on the board as the pitch is dry
so it would turn more after the first inning
best of luck KKR

shagun
on May 22, 2012, 9:51 GMT

I dont think sakib is best all rounder in the world.he is as good as ravinder jadeja.nd i think team bating 1st will win the match.delhi needs to play marve in place of tayler nd kkr should bat pathan at 3.

I
on May 22, 2012, 9:50 GMT

all the best to both the teams..may the best team win

Akram
on May 22, 2012, 9:49 GMT

All my bangladeshi brother stop acting stupid. What kind of meaning is: If sakib plays KKR will win. At the end of the day sakib is a part of the team. He can bowl only 4 overs and probably bat around 20 balls thats it. People please stip whining because this gives a negative image of our country. Our people are not so cheap. So please stay away from all this. Its OK to support KKR but if they dont take Sakib dont think that KKR are the worst side or KKR sux and stuff, please

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 9:39 GMT

Abdullah,narine,sakib,pathan would get killed by sehwag today

Rakesh
on May 22, 2012, 9:33 GMT

KKR will loose the match today and along with it Mr SRK his ego. Go daredevils.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 9:32 GMT

Gambhir knows sehwag never clicks in big matches and Mahela does the opposite (score runs in big matches), so gambhir save SUNIL NARINE for mahela

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 9:29 GMT

Being a CSK fan, I would like KKR win today as I dont want CSK to face spin giants KKR in the 2nd qualifier (provided CSK wins against MI) and all knows if CSK makes to the final then NO ONE CAN STOP THEM FROM MAKING HATRICK OF IPL CHAMPIONSHIP

Moshiur
on May 22, 2012, 9:29 GMT

I am just fed up seeing all the comments made by both Bangladeshi and Indian supporters regarding Shakib Al Hasan. To me, Shakib is a very good young cricketer. He doesn,t bother whether you make good or bad comments about him. He is just trying to deliver his best in all versions of cricket. He is not doing that very bad to be highly criticised. The cricketing brain of KKR and Worchestershire/Essex does know the ability of Shakib better than you people do. So, stop wasting your time criticizing him. Just enjoy the game. Cricket is a great game of enjoyment. Just enjoy yourself.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 9:24 GMT

Watch out guys...Its Best friends / blood related brothers against each other...

Its not fair to compare Narine with Ashwin. Ashwin is just an overrated bowler. He is nowhere in the top bowlers list across IPLs. Dont know what the fuss is all about him.

Mahafuz
on May 22, 2012, 9:16 GMT

All those people fighting over Shakib makes me laugh....tell u what being a bengali, we bengalis have no unity at all...if u r not from Bangladesh or Kollkata i really don't care if u bitch about shakib...but if u r, pls support KKR and Shakib like Bangladesh always backed DADA, even if Shakib doesn't play (which I don't think will happen) pls support KKR as nation comes before individual...we want a bangla team to rule india..and hey I know everyone is entitled for their opinion but there is a think tank who are paid well and experience to decide the playing 11...leave it to them...Kalis said "we jelling pretty well, lots of teams says so but don't but we r really jelling together and enjoying each others company"...so when the team is having high moral and being happy whatever 11 plays, what's ur problem?...if we were loosing I could have understand....but hey we r winning so far....this has already been the best IPL for us...anyone who thinks we win the toss, bat first, thumbs up!!

manjurul
on May 22, 2012, 9:15 GMT

Those who are criticizing Shakib-Al-Hasan. Please check the ICC World ranking in all type of cricket. Not only Indian Players nobody there as good as like Shakib ……….IPL in this season Sakib played 6 matches take 10 wickets. 2 times man of the match. He is the best all rounder in about last three years …………

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 9:15 GMT

KKR should keep the winning combination of their last game and rely on the spinners to do the trick. Lee should be left out as his performance in the 2012 IPL is not so encouraging. Sustained good performance with the ball should be given more weightage over the BIG names!

Rafelgibt yes I am being serious, is he a better spinner than Nairne? He is no where near a good a batsman than either Kallis or McCullum so if you need a pace option yes he would be dropped, oh sorry he had one good (lucky) game with the bat and now you jokers go on like he is Bradman. Gezz look at his batting statastics, he would be lucky to play grade cricket in most countries.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 9:05 GMT

paps1889: U get your facts right. Shakib is NOT even in top-10 all-rounders. Watson is the Best all-rounder of T-20s. And for god sake, this is IPL which is a based on T-20 format NOT ODI/ TEst. Going by ur logic, Chaderpaul is the best batsman of the World and he should be picked ahead of Gayle and Sehwag. Ehh !! Makes sense ???

CSKFAN
on May 22, 2012, 9:05 GMT

Everone in cricketing world knows that shakib is decent allrounder, In IPL he just an another overseas player..thats it..
even shakib will admits this..then why u guys always whinning?..
sakib is this!sakib is that!play him or not!bla!bla!...
If u want to see tamim & sakib playing all the matches, then watch 'ordinary'BPL only...It wont happen in IPL...

saiful
on May 22, 2012, 9:04 GMT

well i think kkr did a great job to pick up the no1 allrounder (sakib) which was ranked by icc... nd not only tht, he is holding his place almost 2years... (check cricinfo player ranking)... nd there will be another good decision if he gets picked for today... for those ppl who doesnt like sakib cz bangladesh kiced out india from asia cup... u cant deny his 2 man of the match in this ipl 2012 when he didnt even get to play almost half of the matches....

Sudhakar
on May 22, 2012, 9:01 GMT

KKR may win today's match with their tricky spin bowling. But i am sure that DD will get the title if suppose this two teams plays in final.. DD will give big revenge.. Am i right???

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 8:59 GMT

Request @all cricket lovers not to say anything about bad about our cricketer. Most cases all love cricket, not an individuals. When Indian team visit Bangladesh to play any game where Bangladesh play or not it becomes full house. In Bangladesh there are huge support for them. I want to thank India for this wonderful IpL show. It 's really interesting now a days to watch t20 and to have fun. We should n't comment biased comments which hurt each other. India has produced many great players.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 8:56 GMT

OMG ! Shakib - Al - Hasan's discussion going on in this thread too. Man ! I'm fed up of this. Every thread has been hijacked by Shakib-obsessed fans. Narine is much better bowler than Shakib. Shakib is not a big turner of ball either; He just bowls wicket to wicket whereas Narine has got so many variations in his archery. Batsmen who play spin so well are unable to pick him. Moreover, Narine bowls not only in power-plays but also in death overs; And he is NOT only economical but a wicket taker too who gets top order batsmen out. Narine is the best Mystery spinner (Way better than Mendis) right now World is witnessing. Shakib stands no where. Only Ajmal can give him tough competition or may be Swann.

Shahnawaz
on May 22, 2012, 8:53 GMT

When the KKR opens the batting it would be MacCullum showing his brilliance in the first four overs supported by Gambhir (best in chasing score) who will play anchor role no matter what the run rate is ..Kallis will enter once McCullum Departs they will continue on to play simple cricket to get to 60 in next ten overs with one wicket and that when Gambhir will cut loose and attck the mediocre Delhi Spin bowling .. Score 85-2 in 13 overs with one of the partners going off on the field and then KKR will crumble to reach 100 in 16 overs and whole match would be defined by how brilliant Yousuf pathan can prove in 5 overs ... its might be just his day or a nightmare for KKR .

Shahnawaz
on May 22, 2012, 8:48 GMT

Well thats how i think match will turn out to be ...
Balaji and Shakib/Abdulla will open the attack against Dave and Sehwag .. both aren't good enough for spins .. atleast one will depart .... jaya will enter within few intial overs.. who might just be able to steady the innings till Narine enters along with Kallis ... Narine will pick up a wicket though kallis will go for some run ..hence by the end of the 10th over score would be around 70-2 and afterwards it would be just the downfall for Delhi as for increasing the rate further they will try expensive shots coming short of the brilliant KKR bowling . final score for DD will be around 145 .

joel
on May 22, 2012, 8:48 GMT

KKR should DROP NARINE. Surely he has repaid the $700,000 by now. Let him go free and play for WI in the second Test. They need him more than KKR.

KAZI RASHIDUN NABI
on May 22, 2012, 8:45 GMT

SHAKIB IS GREAT ! IF SHAKIB PLAYED TODAY THEN KKR GOING TO FINAL...

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 8:41 GMT

dear matchfixerpkn, even ordinary sakib is enough to beat india, sri lanka in last asia cup single handed, i guess that makes indian and sri lankan national team altogether are below per collectively.

Andy
on May 22, 2012, 8:29 GMT

KKR have slight edge over DD
Gambhir knew how to get rid off sehwag
sehwag knew this fact and he will stay minimum of 10 overs when they chase
My money is on DD they are going to win this
no,even shakib can't even stop DD lets watch tonight

Subhajit
on May 22, 2012, 8:25 GMT

I think both side should go with 3 spinners in side.Probably for KKR Abdulla,Shakib,Narine and part timer Yusuf Pathan & for Delhi Nadeem,Negi,& Van Der Marwe & part timer Sehwag,but all the way its KKR spinners are ahead over the Delhi spinners,because KKR spinners move the ball brilliantly but Delhi spinners are consistent only with their lines and lengths.So,its KKR should be the better attacking side.
WISH ALL THE BEST TO KKR

borhan
on May 22, 2012, 8:25 GMT

those 140-150 runs against DD won't work for KKR this time .KKR should have dropped Kallis or Mccullum way before their 8th match .They have 100 strike rate which is no good for IPL .Bring other batsman from the bench .Balaji is way better pacer than lee on indian pitch .bring sakib on number 3 position .Don't hurry him when he get settled he increase his strike rate rapidly and also make it hard for bowler to out him .Most of the match he take away match from middle order & remain undefeated against all test playing teams that BD won

DD will win..they are too strong for kkr...bring any sort of pitch..DD all the way...!
The thing which DD did wel in thel last few games is that they've given good batting practice to Venugopal, Naman Ojha & co. and I won't be surprised if DD after wining the toss elect to bowl and chase any target, going by kkr batting, in best case or ideal case it would be 160 but realistically kkr will not score more than 140. But DD batting first will always be a grand advantage...

Sohel
on May 22, 2012, 8:05 GMT

this will be the most excited and important match indeed,I think gamvir or kalis or shakib or narine not personaly put some important contribution for the KKR,the main think is their team combination,team sprite extremely well,that`s why they got the premendous success so far,if they carry on it up to the end of their last match,I am sure hopefully they gonna to win the throphy!!best of luck KKR!!!!!

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:58 GMT

come on delhi blow the kkr away as hurricane blow the straw away i m looking forward i m excited it would be very interesting to watch in other words real treat

Naveen
on May 22, 2012, 7:47 GMT

Shakib is a great player! Shakib is talented than rest of ALL other bowlers/batsman in WOrld. SHAKIB CAN TURN THE BALL TO 360 DEGREES. MIND IT.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:44 GMT

I agree with Imteaz's suggestion on KKR's batting line up. If Gambhir and Mcullum give a good start of about 40, 45 runs then Yusuf Pathan will be best option at no. 3. He is a match winner on his day and he hasn't fired yet. So, who knows tomorrow may be his day!!!!!!!

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:40 GMT

Indians will never appreciate anything. shakib became no 1 allrounder n both test and ODI, which no indians could ever achieved and they says shakib is an ordinary player, i am tired of arguing, come on indians you may be good supporter of indian team, but try to respect cricket, try to appreciate a good effort.

noushad
on May 22, 2012, 7:37 GMT

sewag can hit sakib and other spinners

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:29 GMT

DD vs KKR , well will be a intersting mztch, both of them good captains, nice fielding sides, and good bowling too, worth spending time

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:23 GMT

Hmm.... Come on Delhi DARE Devils Go for the Kill.... *Yawn* Even if KKR wins I will be happy as I see Gauti as a Delhi'ite, someone whom I have been loving as a Cricketer, as a person ever since he made his debut for Team India.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:16 GMT

@SurlyCynic: scoring 42 from 30 balls in a low scoring match is not a work of good batsman? What is the definition of decent Batsman?
@saif_bd007: Your mother has produced you. She has grown up you up to this position. Her duty is finished. Now leave her. And let the duty to be done by other person.
Thanks to Gautam for at least taking Shakib into the team.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:12 GMT

I am of the view that IPL is all mess as all the results r already decided before it actually happened as I had already told my frinds that teams with indian national team playing capitans will qualify for play off and Chenai will win IL as its owner is Chairman BCCI and Dhoni is capitan

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 7:09 GMT

SHAKIB PLZ. PLAY AS LIKE A TIGER AND PROVED ALL INDIANS THAT YOU ARE THE BEST.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 6:59 GMT

I am so excited to see KKR vs DD match. Two giants' fight. I m sure. This two team will face in the final match too. Wish Gautam & Shakib to play their best. Indo-Bangla star pair. If KKR score 140+, it would be difficult for DD to chase in any pitch of the world. Because, Narine is completely unplayable and Shakib is outstanding with his bowl. One thing KKR should concern is it's batting. Good to see Shakib coming back into good batting form.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 6:55 GMT

I am so excited to see KKR vs DD match. Two giants' fight. I m sure. This two team will face in the final match too. Wish Gautam & Shakib to play their best. Indo-Bangla star pair. If KKR score 140+, it would be difficult for DD to chase in any pitch of the world. Because, Narine is completely unplayable and Shakib is outstanding with his bowl. One thing KKR should concern is it's batting. Good to see Shakib coming back into good batting form.

Ravi
on May 22, 2012, 6:54 GMT

KKR are the fav today.. Pune pitch is the best to suite their bowling combination.. The only player they need to watch is Jaywardene who has the ability to handle this pitch and build the innings as this picth demands some sensible batting.. I hope for better umpiring today as we have already seen some pathetic decisions this season.. I am just wondering if the umpires only check for No Ball if the wicket fell or they are keeping their eye on every ball.. The incidents involving RP Singh (MI) and Trivedi (RR) clearly suggests how relaxed the umpires are as those were clearly No Balls by a big margin and should have been called straight away instead of referring to third umpire to judge them.. I hope this will be a great contest without any controversial decision as both the sides have played quality cricket and lets not spoil it with any bad umpiring decision..

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 6:53 GMT

Viru will look very ordinary against Shakib.Just keep in your mind guys.This pitch will suit Shakib & SN.I dont think Delhi even have a little chance to win this match.KKR rockzzzzzzzzz.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 6:52 GMT

I am so excited to see KKR vs DD match. Two giants' fight. I m sure. This two team will face in the final match too. Wish Gautam & Shakib to play their best. Indo-Bangla star pair. If KKR score 140+, it would be difficult for DD to chase in any pitch of the world. Because, Narine is completely unplayable and Shakib is outstanding with his bowl. One thing KKR should concern is it's batting. Good to see Shakib coming back into good batting form.

Arshad
on May 22, 2012, 6:44 GMT

The biggest shock will come not from Sehwag, Warner, Narine or Pathan but the pitch itself. Expect a green top with plenty of bounce

Naresh
on May 22, 2012, 6:43 GMT

One Indian batsman who has lit up this IPL is Rohit Sharma. Would not be surprised
if he wins the IPL for Mumbai. I think Indian selectors should make him Sachin's
replacement. His batting reminds me of Yuvi except that one is left handed other
right. For the finals hope to see a Dehli/Mumbai clash.

Arshad
on May 22, 2012, 6:42 GMT

All this idiotic argument makes me laugh. Everybody here is assuming that the Pune pitch would play the same way it did during the match between KKR and Warriors. Guys, please check the odds: DD is favorite!!! I predict an absolute belter where Sehwag and Co. will smash it around to all parts of the ground today.

Satish
on May 22, 2012, 6:40 GMT

DD's vulnerability in playoff's need to be used up by KKR.. Both teams are heavily dependant on Viru and Gauti but DD has Mahela to look upon on Viru's failure whereas, Kallis is not in that good nick as he used to be.. Shakib's innings last game would have pleased KKR very much as he is capable to do it again.. How they counter Morne and attack others will decide the game.. Would love to see Viru who made a statement that he can smash Narine.. Would be a treat to watch.. Viru dismantled the mystery spinner in Mendis and was the only one who picked Brad Hogg comfortable in this IPL.. Mouth watering contest it would be..

SAZ
on May 22, 2012, 6:33 GMT

Its going to be one of the best match of the tournament, its the clash between the Pathan brothers, gud news for DD is that there captain Viru is back in the side who is in tremendous form. One thing is sure that DD will miss Kevin very much he was the match winner player and his absence may effect them. KKR are also favourite as there captain too is in good form. Sunil Narine is going very well with the ball and definately KKR will expect some magic from him in today's match. One of the best match is going to be played todays so freinds hold down your seat in the evening. Best of luck DD & KKR.

Shitij
on May 22, 2012, 6:33 GMT

Delhi will win if Sehwag sticks to his original statement " I should play till 15 overs". For all those who are predicting on the basis of WLWLWL.. Delhi has played 4 matches on Tuesday and won all of them. So aaj Mangalwar hai bahar KKR hai..

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 6:25 GMT

I am so excited to see KKR vs DD match. Two giants' fight. I m sure. This two team will face in the final match too. Wish Gautam & Shakib to play their best. Indo-Bangla star pair. If KKR score 140+, it would be difficult for DD to chase in any pitch of the world. Because, Narine is completely unplayable and Shakib is outstanding with his bowl. One thing KKR should concern is it's batting. Good to see Shakib coming back into good batting form.

Andrew
on May 22, 2012, 6:24 GMT

Most people expect Delhi and Chennai to make it to the finals but my gut feeling is that its going to be Kolkata and Mumbai.
Kolkata have the advantage against Delhi because the pitch would suit them better
Mumbai have the best bowling attack in the tournament and they have proved many times that they can hold their nerve in crunch situations and I expect the Eliminator match to be a high scoring match with a close finish so I'd back Mumbai to beat them.
Also I think that though Delhi have a strong team, they sometimes rely too much on their heavyweights in the batting lineup like Sehwag and Warner. If the pitch in Chennai is more suitable for the bowlers especially the slower bowlers then Delhi may face problems but Delhi's advantage is that they have 3 genuine fast bowlers which is unusual in the IPL formats considering that India do not often produce fast bowlers.

shagun
on May 22, 2012, 6:13 GMT

I think kkr has a better chance to win today match bcoz of pitch condition if they get sehwag early.in this pitch i think sehwag and gautam are key for their teams.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 6:05 GMT

KKR side is looking more good as compare to delhi so lets see jo jeeta wahi sikandar../.............................

Siddharth
on May 22, 2012, 6:03 GMT

Doesnt matter what the pitch is as you still have to bowl well to win. Narine has been terrific (irrespective of the pitch) but so has been morkel. Shakib and abdullah are good bowlers but they havent been tested much under the pressure situations so it will be interesting to see what will be the plan B for kolkata if sehwag/warner do what they do best. KKR will be better off getting in Lee as he adds variety and is a genuine strike bowler which can challenge sehwag/warner early in the innings and can finish well in death overs. Teams should play their best bowlers irrespective of the pitch and as strange as it may seem ill rate DD bowling above KKR as the former has 3 strike bowlers who can win crucial moments in a match against KKR who has 2.

Garry
on May 22, 2012, 5:54 GMT

pranab_380 the format is different this year 1 and 2 play each other as do 3 and 4, the loser of 1 v 2 plays the winner of 3 v 4 to play in the final and the winner of 1 v 2 goes straight to the final.

@Gagg on (May 21 2012, 17:28 PM GMT) Are you serious about your comments???I guess not!!! Or you have some problem with SHAKIB of BAN........Kindly check out his performance against all the big teams before making this intelligent(!!!) comments......And kindly improve digestion power of yours coz we the BAN TIGERS are coming to ROCK the world within few years.........ALL the best to KKR as long as SHAKIB is there for the team............Go SHAKIB GO........

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 5:43 GMT

Why the double Dees are still playing Irfan K. Pathan? Is he the only allrounder in the net? His bowlng action changes in every other ball. His bowling speed for last two games is around 120kphs. Remember that "Off-spinner" came back from South Africa!

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 5:36 GMT

SHASKIB NEEDS TO BE ASSESED FOR HIS HUGE POTENTIAL IN BATTING, BOWLING AND NOT BUT THE LEAST IN FIELDING TOO. HE MUST BE SELECTED TONIGHT IF KKR WANT TO WIN ! HIS PERFORMANCE HAS IMPROVED OVER THE FEW MATCHES THAT HE HAS PLAYED. HE IS AT HIS PEAK NOW AND SHOULD BE UTILISED BY GAMBHIR TONIGHT. BEST OF LUCK KKR!!

When Ajantha Mendis was a mystery rookie and was unplayable, Viru was the first to decode him.Hope he does the same with Sunil Naraine. Looking froward to the contest between these two greats. Sunil Naraine is superb, he is the best at present.Looks like DD will meet MI in the finals and DD all set to win. All the best Viru & DD.........AMEN...with lotsa luv from Bangalore.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 5:23 GMT

Yousuf Patan is for big events, now the time comes to exploit the talent of Yousuf. If you remember Yousuf open the batting in 2007 world cup T20 final and India won the cup. Yousuf should open the batting with Gautam. This will be big shock to DD and Yousuf will get the enough time to stay on grease, will give good result for KKR.

ujjwal
on May 22, 2012, 5:15 GMT

shehwag is dad of all spin bowlers...dnt forget who solved the mytrey of medis ...if shehwag stay till power play no chance for chokers kkr...6-8 over enough for shehwag to take game away from kkr...

@pranab_380: First of all its not a Semi final, its a playoff. Secondly, the reason No.1 and 2 and fighting it out is because both of them deserve a second chance in case either of them have a bad day. The format is designed such that the teams finishing 1st and 2nd in the league are not out of the contention just for a bad day even after performing consistently in the leagues phase. They have been given a lifeline unlike teams finishing 3rd and 4th as for them their match is a virtual quater final and they have to win their next 3 matches in order to lift the cup. While no.1 and 2 can afford to loose a match. I really like this format as it gives the best 2 teams a second chance. I am waiting for KKR to lift the cup this year, Gambhir has transformed this team brilliantly, although if Delhi wins the cup i will be equally happy.

i know shewag is good but he thinks he is a great player...he talks as he is greatest...how can he say that he can smash narine??? :D @screamingeagle
shewag is over confident....shakib is good but he will be a great player than shewag

Salekin
on May 22, 2012, 4:57 GMT

@ mysay. I think Shakib is fine as a 2nd order batsman. In that way, KKR can keep left/right hand opening combination. Brenden is enough to support Gambhir and they already had few good partnerships. KKR mostly struggled scoring runs at the end around 15-20 overs, which I believe is the responsibility of middle order batsmen (Yusuf, Das, Shakib, Tiwari). Nothing to comment about KKR bowling, they are brilliant and Gambhir is a good captain.

Sak
on May 22, 2012, 4:52 GMT

DD will win this Match Surely.. Better luck next time Gauthi

Anver
on May 22, 2012, 4:50 GMT

Specially with their slow bowlers, I guess KKR has the edge over DD... pace battery of DD won't work in Pune today. whatever like to see a ding dong battle !!!!

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 4:48 GMT

kkr must pray today must not be a sehwag day coz then even the most difficult pitch and mystry bowler like sunil narine becomes helpless..

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 4:47 GMT

DD will win easily (from a CSK fan)

Shaifuzzaman
on May 22, 2012, 4:20 GMT

Its not wise to think SHAKIB will be MOM everyday. He has done his part last game when team was in trouble and bring team to Qualifier-1 from Eleminator. Its now others' duty to take team one step forward. Kallis and Gambhir both are due with a good performance. I think Kallis will be MOM tonight!!!! Finger crossed...

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 4:17 GMT

Surely DD Have A Upper Hand In Batting But Sehwag Has To Be There Atleast For First 6 Overs Else KKR Will Through To Final

ajith
on May 22, 2012, 4:14 GMT

@Sheriar Arefin, Yup, Sehwag is just ordinary, a bit better than Shakib who is club cricketer class, right? :P

Lenin
on May 22, 2012, 4:14 GMT

If Shakib Al Hasan is There for KKR then i wish KKr Win otherwise Gooooooo Delhi :D

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 4:14 GMT

KKR really does not require any fast bowler from the bench and in no means it will add any significance, whatsoever - Balaji (the most economical fast bowler in IPL-V) has been far more effective than those are being benched. And none of them performed any better than Kallis and Rajat Bhatia. Spinners will surly deliver and will play the key role. But you can drop neither Kallis nor McCullum and including Gambhir any two top orders have to be real explosive with bat - otherwise win against DD is looking like a little distant possibility!!

Keith
on May 22, 2012, 4:09 GMT

First of all I'm not a Bangladeshi. Yet I think Sakib should open with Gambhir. Kallis one down & Brenden at two. Sakib can do what Brenden is doing, and score more than him. Brendon needs to go for biggy's so playing in depth will be better than opening and getting a 50 with a 110 strike rate. Sakib can hold one end when Gambhir attacks. As for DD Sehwag will not last to face Narine. Jayawardane plays spin as if though he is facing turn for the first time. Taylor/Narine taylor will be out for 06 the most. That too with a strike rate of 70. Morne will be the only threat, but then again Kallis will pepper him to the boundary. The only good thing is DD will still have another chance to face KKR, only to lose to KKR in the final (If they do make it)

A
on May 22, 2012, 3:59 GMT

good luck to both the teams, both deserve to make the Finals. it will be a cracker of a game for sure and will be great if it goes down to the Super Over.
My final 11 will be -
KKR - gambhir,mccullum,kallis,manoj,shakib,pathan,das,bhatia,iqbal,narine,balaji

kkr will win because they are the strongest......shewag :D :D who is he???? i know who is he....he is an ordinary batsman

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 3:38 GMT

As a bengali i wish for the Knights to win from my heart.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 3:19 GMT

this game is gonna be brilliant

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 3:17 GMT

IF KKR BATTING FIRST THAN KKR WILL BE WIN BY 70 RUNS. IF DD BAT FIRST THEN KKR WILL BE WIN BY 7 WICKETS. SO DD FANS SEE U AGAIN AT IPL 6. U CAN WORK HARD NEXT YEAR TO FIGHT AGAINEST KKR.

sirsak
on May 22, 2012, 2:53 GMT

it will be great for delhi if they allow mahela to remain as captain.because in such a big match,a cool and calm head of mahela can take delhi to the final.mahela is such an outstanding captain in a pressure situation.he can easily take off all the pressure from his players in a crunch time.on the other hand we hav seen how sehwag falters under pressure in difficult situation.so go delhi go but only under mahela

Pranab
on May 22, 2012, 2:50 GMT

This is a joke!! It should be!! The top teams of a tournament should meet in the final not in the semi-final. No. 1 should have faced No. 4 and No. 2 should have faced No. 3. The lineup for the semi-final should have been Delhi vs Chennai and Kolkata Vs Mumbai. I agree this could not guarantee the clash of the top two teams in the final (lest any of the No. 1 & 2 teams lose in the semis), but at least theoretically it presented a chance. Delhi is the team to go for though. Best batting and bowling line-ups in the tournament.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 2:22 GMT

narine(5.14),sakib(5.82) & iqbal(6.52) are the most economical bowler in this ipl..lets see how DD handle 'em.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 2:19 GMT

No matter which team win this match. CSK will be waiting for you both.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 2:13 GMT

FINAL WINNER - NO ONE FROM THESE TWO -
WILL BE FROM SECOND QUALIFIER.
NO SURPRISE.

ravi kant
on May 22, 2012, 1:26 GMT

i must dd will win comfortabely

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 1:16 GMT

well looking at the pune track, it shows immense support for spinners. if they are playing on the same pitch I would fancy kolkata's chances. Delhi batting lacks consistency except for sehwag and as we all know he can be a bit of a lottery. 150 will be a good target to defend I guess and if Kolkata bat first, it would seem like 170.

Vikram
on May 22, 2012, 1:12 GMT

You might also want to compare the captaincies between the sides - it is almost black and white, with Sehwag hardly having a clue about what to do given a tricky situation, and Gambhir thriving on it.

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 1:10 GMT

DD win 4 sure..Russel is expensive so Warner,maahela,ross,morne should be 4 oversea player while negi will be the spinner

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 1:10 GMT

DD win 4 sure..Russel is expensive so Warner,maahela,ross,morne should be 4 oversea player while negi will be the spinner

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 0:59 GMT

Delhi Vs KKR, Speed Vs Spin, Sehwag Vs Gambhir, Delhi's Top order batsmen should perform against dangerous spin attack of Narine, Sakib and co. The Match is evenly placed and depends on Top order batting attack. Both Teams have Big Guns but they must fire. Delhi- Sehwag, David, Jaywardane, Taylor, etc. KKR- Gautam, Macullam, Sakhib, Yusuf etc. As a cricket lover i would love to watch as a last ball game.

Bowling too comes into picture Morkel Vs Narine, Here i feel KKR has slight advantage as they have 2 good alrounders Sakhib and yusuf. Delhi has to get Nadeem and other spinner too.

Looking forward to watch an interesting match

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 0:42 GMT

Warner & Taylor will find it difficult against Narine. Couple of shots may come off. But 1 full over each will get them. Interesting battle will be between Narine against Viru/Jayawardene. The ideal case for KKR would be if Kallis & Balaji can keep it tight during power-play overs then the spinners can take over.

Hello
on May 22, 2012, 0:25 GMT

People don't understand there playing in pune this wicket (at least how it played innthe kkr pwi match) in a turning track like at eden gardens and kkr have like 4 spinners and dd rely on pace and sehwag will throw his wicket away i mean i love sehwag my fav player but he will throw his wicket away if narine bowls a few dots at him so kkr would be favorites in my opinion love both teams tho

Dummy4
on May 22, 2012, 0:09 GMT

KKR's power house would be the all-rounders like 'King Kallis' & 'Shakib'. These r the most efficient players I've ever seen. They always contribute something, which becomes vital to the scorecard !!!!!! Though Yusuf pathan is there, but he's living under his shadow. Hopefully he'll show the form of Rajasthan Royals dayz .....

if kkr lose then i hope narine flies to england to play test cricket. We need him

des
on May 21, 2012, 22:50 GMT

It's time to drop Shakib and bring in a decent batsman.

shameem
on May 21, 2012, 22:13 GMT

Delhi batsmen can neither read Narine --- nor play Shakib. So??? Shewag probably will survive maximum six balls of his play ---- he'll then throw his wicket by playing a very ordinary shot due to frustration ----- it's my gut-feeling. Wish Australian Warner and Kiwi Taylor play some shots when KKR's dangerous spin-duo Narine and Shakib not bowling ---- otherwise the match may end up as a one-sided and boring!!

Gaurav
on May 21, 2012, 22:07 GMT

If Sehwag or Warner gets going, then No one can save KKR.
Waiting eagerly to see Sehwag's assault against KKR specially the hyped Narine, Go Delhi Go..! Best of luck..

borhan
on May 21, 2012, 21:56 GMT

the way kkr is batting i don't see they are making any big runs with their most valuable batsman going at 100 strike rate .If kkr win they will win with spin not with pace .So lee not requred .Sakib's batting could give kkr middle order the boost that they are lacking but it all depend how they use sakib in batting .they shouldn't have keep him on bench for so long .If sakib was allowed as many match as kallis he could have done way better with his bat consistently

Prashant
on May 21, 2012, 21:33 GMT

It don't matter who goes through to final, they will be defeated by CSK :)

Aaquib
on May 21, 2012, 21:10 GMT

If Shakib Al Hasan is There for KKR then i wish KKr Win otherwise Gooooooo Delhi :D

Mahbubur Rahman
on May 21, 2012, 21:05 GMT

Good luck KKR and Shakib.....

Gaurav
on May 21, 2012, 20:34 GMT

KKR will lose badly..and Sehwag along with David and Jaywardane will thrash them badly with 2 overs to spare...and Morne Morkel will take a hat-trick in the first over itself.. lol..!

Mahidhar
on May 21, 2012, 20:34 GMT

CSK Written all over IPL
Others keep dreaming ......

mohammad
on May 21, 2012, 20:30 GMT

It will be an interesting sight to see Shewgag and Mahela facing top spins from KKR, Narine and Sakib. Likewise, Morket will test Gamvir and ----? . Delhi has better fire power in bats? We will see. 50/50 at this point.

Gaurav
on May 21, 2012, 20:18 GMT

Delhi will thrash, Narine and co.

Sehwag will hit century in just 50 balls. Bye-Bye Kolkata. Best of luck Sehwag..We_Rock.

KKR SHAKIB GAUTAM NARINE no chance for dd and devils always should be punished.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 19:57 GMT

@Gagg...haha Whatever your problem with Shakib jealous guy is your problem but the important thing to remember is that Shakib is better than you which is why you're not playing for any teams haaaahaha...next time appreciate players you silly idiot instead of just making pointless excuses and by the way, Shakib has one of the best bowling figures in IPL so you saying he's an 'ordinary' bowler is a complete lie :)

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 19:55 GMT

KKR has been one of the most consistent team this year, and I hope they win the tomorrow's match for the people of Kolkata and SRK. Since it's inception in the IPL, team has consistently struggled and despite having world class Cricketers, they failed to live up to their true potential. However, with the appointment of coaches such as Akram and Gautam being made the captain, the team found the stability and leadership they desperately needed. Now, they need to push on and take their rightful place as the winner of this years IPL. All the best.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 19:45 GMT

Gambhir made an excellent decision to play Shakib at no. 4 position.Gambhir, Shakib & Narine are the key players for KKR. Sehwag & Morkerl are the key players for DD. So, KKR looks stronger. Shakib is very experienced and effective in this sort of pitch i.e. slow pitch of Pune. DD have to be very careful while playing Shakib.KKR will make it to the final.. Go Shakib!

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 19:31 GMT

Comparing both teams one can say DD has the best shot at making it to the finals. A strong batting line up followed by probably the best pace attack in the tournament. KKR on the other hand depend on Ghambir to keep the scoreboard ticking... Think I am being skeptical??.....Gambhir is the only KKR batsman to be in the top 10 ( at number 4 ) while the next one J.Kallis is placed at 21. Same can be said for DD but their Key batsmen other than Shewag have played lesser games. But a lot depends on the pitch at Pune......"It's the toughest wicket we have played in the country and it's very difficult to score runs here".....to quote R.Uthappa. Will it be M.Morkel who will bowl it DD's way or will it be 'Narayan' Narine spinning it KKR's way?? My money's on DD by the way......... ;)

ali
on May 21, 2012, 19:09 GMT

i wish KKR win this match bcz KKR is my fvrt team in every season

P
on May 21, 2012, 18:36 GMT

KKR's batting is too weak, gets a quick 50 and then slows down to crawl rate - except Gambhir, not one has a strike rate over 110. If DD fails to win tomorrow it will be because their top 4 batsmen fail simultaneously. Quite unlikely.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:36 GMT

shakib the top all rounder is there to send Delhi Daredevils for playing off ...
May be they have to face again Shakib, in the final to b disappointed once again :)

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:36 GMT

KKR.....!!! Wishing u all the very best....!!!

Ashok
on May 21, 2012, 18:35 GMT

If Sehwag & Warner are in a long partnership of 15 overs, then look out for a total of 250. This is the crucial match turner. Both are huge hitters but have they got the patience to stay at the crease for 15 overs? Will Gambhir risk by starting with Narine to counter this duo? On the other hand if Kallis & Gambhir bat to their potential, KKR can make a match of it. So the DD's win will depend entirely on Sehwag & Warner batting for 15 overs to give an unassailable total.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:28 GMT

top three economic bowlers in IPL are from Kolkata(minimum 5 matches).It should be mentioned here but reporter did not do this.Economy is the most important part in t20.It will be very difficult to play against KKR bowling Inshah Allah because this is completely bowling pitch

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:25 GMT

Sakib is the key player i think ...

Mohsin
on May 21, 2012, 18:22 GMT

Sehwag coming in from fever, no words that he's fit or not? He cant straight away hit the ball on this slow pitches, Warner will be ineffective in this slow pitch. DD should get out with 100

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:14 GMT

2012 this year just for k k r.............

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:09 GMT

i am seeing that KKR win the match by trio contribution of GAMVHIR, SAKIB & NARINE.

Parthiban
on May 21, 2012, 18:07 GMT

Hope DD sends KKR and SRK packing!

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:06 GMT

gambhir,naraine,shakib vs sehwag,morkel,warner...match will be decided in these battles.i think,kkr will win the match,as it is too difficult to handle the spin attack of kkr..delhi has some edge in batting,as mccullum and kallis being so conservative in t20 but their bowling will again win the match for them..

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 18:02 GMT

no boubt its a bg game but i am sure its kkr will make it to finals kolkata i lvu

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 17:57 GMT

This is unfair playing both teams in knock out..I want to see both these teams in final.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 17:47 GMT

Wicket of sehwag is not a big deal even I can get him out.....anyways KKR gonna beat DD easily in the first qualifier

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 17:47 GMT

It's a spinning track....bt DD rely on pacers mostly...now if they want 2 add some more spinners in place of d pacers...It wold surely a cause of worry as it would dismantle their bowling combination.....On d other hand KKR r 2 stick 2 d previous team...nd KKr has played d last game against Pune....so they more accustomed 2 conditions than DD(although DD has played against PUNE).....I m eager 2 see a Sehwag vs Narine contest.....wanting the later 2 win the battle....:)

fakruddin
on May 21, 2012, 17:46 GMT

CSK is in the playoffs because it did better than other teams in the fray..... Just like the rest of the 3 above them. Or did the other teams finish 1st 2nd and 3rd because the rest of the teams messed up.

It just shows that CSK has set such a high bar for themselves that anything less is seen as luck.... GO CSK show all the CSK haters ALL THE BEST

Amit
on May 21, 2012, 17:45 GMT

ms.arjun,

Spot-On. I could not have agreed more with what you said. All four teams qualified based on the fact that they played better than the rest of the 5 teams. (Some more than the others).

Jyotirmoy
on May 21, 2012, 17:39 GMT

Why so much hue and cry about CSK reaching the playoffs stage??? They were better than the bottom four teams that's why they are in. Its nothing like they relied on other teams to reach there, its just that they finished there league matches much before the other teams. Actually the other teams had a better chance for getting into playoffs as they knew the required stats. But no one is pointing towards poor showing by other teams, is it because nobody wants to play with CSK at final stages?? There is no doubt CSK is better than any team when it comes to tense matches, and anyone believe it or not its mainly because of DHONI! so I am with CSK to win their 3rd IPL!!!

Pushkar
on May 21, 2012, 17:38 GMT

Should be a good contest. KKR spinner vs. Sehwag & Jayawardene. If Sehwag plays out the first 3-4 overs then maybe he would be in a good position to handle the Narine threat. For that matter even Jayawardene, he is just awesome when it comes to playing spin. The other spinners like Sakib, Abdulla and Yusuf should not be any great hindrance for these two. On the other hand KKR are jut too dependent on on Gambhir to give them a good start. He should be Morne Morkel radar. Get Gambhir early and you can restrict KKR to below 140, he plays 10+ overs and you are chasing 160+.
Hope to see a Viru special!!!! I am a big fan of Gambhir especially after that match winning 90 in the WC final. But all support for DD tmrw, just hate the KKR owner and cant stand them winning...

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 17:38 GMT

KKR should stick with the same squad that won here in Pune the other day because the wicket was suited to their style of play and they are clearly the favourites since they have already played at the stadium in their last match. But the important thing is winning the toss and if KKR does win it, must bat first as its an advantage and post minimum 150 or more score this time around therefore all the players from top to bottom must perform otherwise DD with that batting lineup can finish the job and win with ease even with the top bowling attack KKR have. If KKR can get Sehweg or Warner out early on than I can't see DD winning.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 17:38 GMT

totally agree with ms.arjun's comment... just because csk's matches ended before doesnt mean they wanted other teams to mess up... all teams have played equal number of matches... y doesnt neone understand tht?!

Soumya
on May 21, 2012, 17:36 GMT

Delhi will suffer due to the absence of Kevin Petersen.. If kkr put up a score around 160, they will able to defend it..

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 17:32 GMT

CSK will come back strongly..... Dont forget they are the champions and almost having the same team for 5 IPL's

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 17:28 GMT

Will be good a match between the top teams of the season.. Can't wait for the battle btw Sehwag Vs Narine.. Go DD..!!

Garry
on May 21, 2012, 17:28 GMT

Would drop Shakib for Lee, he is the weakest spin bowler in the team and they will need variety against a good batting lineup.

"Chennai Super Kings have had to rely on other sides' messing up to sneak in."Poor choice of words. I agree Chennai is not as consistent as they used to be or like top 2 teams this season. But they did win 8 matches, and they did have a superior run rate. Not to forget they defeated Delhi and KKR last time they played. Just because their matches ended a week before, you cannot call chennai is in playoffs for only ''others teams messed up''. If you see carefully, Delh, KKR and Mumbaii are also in playoffs too since other teams messed up.

Neyaz
on May 21, 2012, 16:49 GMT

A good contest on the cards because both the team are good and they have their specific strength. On the basis of the slowness of the pune pitch KKR has upper hand.

Nikhil
on May 21, 2012, 16:45 GMT

BOTH THESE TEAMS WILL MAKE IT TO THE FINAL.

Muhtasim
on May 21, 2012, 16:40 GMT

Brendon McCullum & Ross Taylor FTW !!!

niaz
on May 21, 2012, 16:16 GMT

Narine and Sakib are awesome. Iqbal/Bhatia is great too. If I would be picking team for KKR, I would bring Unadkat (for Bhatia/Iqbal) or Tendoschate for McCullam. KKR needs three quicks with three spinners. Tendoschate, Ghamvir, Kallis, Sakib, DB Das, Tiwari, Pathan, Bisla, Balaji, Narine, Bhatia/Iqbal/Unadkat.

pankaj
on May 21, 2012, 16:14 GMT

What did uthappa say again ? "it's toughest wicket", but what does he know about wicket or even batting for a matter of fact.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 16:10 GMT

Wish all the best to KKR. Hope they would beat DD very comprehensibly. Just need the good form of 4 players: Gautam, Narine, Kallis & Shakib.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 16:09 GMT

keep up morne, and u 'll win this season..

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 16:06 GMT

Sehwag > KKR

Period.

.....................................................

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 16:05 GMT

I am sure both team will play again in final after tomorrow's clash...

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 16:04 GMT

KKR will win the match. The pattern follow by Delhi is W L W L W L W

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:58 GMT

I hope Kolkata will stick to the same team as last match. I liked the combination and the batting and bowling order. Gambhir made an excellent decision to play Shakib at no. 4 position. Shakib is perfect at number 4 position. Best of luck Gambhir & Co. Wish, KKR will win tomorrow.

Reagan
on May 21, 2012, 15:56 GMT

its easy to know the outcome for tomorrow's game from predicting from the form guide for both teams. Delhi Daredevils: WLWLW (1 win then a loss)making the next result a LOSS and Kolkata Knight Riders: WWLLW (2 wins then 2 losses) maknig the next result a WIN. Ask me another difficult question please....

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:53 GMT

IRFAN WILL LET BIG BRO WIN

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:47 GMT

KKR should win this easily. They already played in Pune just couple of days ago and have the right settled team combination for the Pune pitch. DD doesn't have quality spinners with match practice and their pace quartet would just ensure stroke making easier. Interesting battle would be between Viru/Jayawardene vs Narine. The finals would probably be between KKR and CSK.

Mohsin
on May 21, 2012, 15:46 GMT

No contest in Pune. KKR will win easily. Narine, Shakib, Abdullah, Pathan. KKR's has world class spin qualities compared to DD although DD has good pace attack but at this pitch of Pune, no contest. Goodbye DD, maybe they can win against Mumbai or Chennai in Chennai's grassy pitch.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:45 GMT

KKR all the Way......................Bring Lee also in place of MCullum......
Gauti,Bisla,Kallis,Tiwari,Shakib,Pathan,Das,Bhatia,Lee,Narine & Balaji/Abdulla.................
the best team of alll..................

Shiv
on May 21, 2012, 15:42 GMT

As much as i love GG, i hate KKR. So go DD tomorrow. But the real deal is Sehwag vs Narine, cant wait.

sh
on May 21, 2012, 15:31 GMT

Gambhir, Shakib & Narine are the key players for KKR. Sehwag & Morkerl are the key players for DD. So, KKR looks stronger. Shakib is very experienced and effective in this sort of pitch i.e. slow pitch of Pune. DD have to be very careful while playing Shakib & Narine. KKR have to be very very careful about Morkel's 4 over. All the best KKR & good luck DD

Arshad
on May 21, 2012, 15:30 GMT

Biggest match of the season.....I will support KKR surely.

Hasib
on May 21, 2012, 15:17 GMT

KKR will make it to the final.. Go Shakib! One more man of the match will be nice

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:14 GMT

Waiting for the big match, but they have not played big pressure games.Slow spin track, KKR has slight edge but sehwag gets going then DDs first final...

No featured comments at the moment.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:14 GMT

Waiting for the big match, but they have not played big pressure games.Slow spin track, KKR has slight edge but sehwag gets going then DDs first final...

Hasib
on May 21, 2012, 15:17 GMT

KKR will make it to the final.. Go Shakib! One more man of the match will be nice

Arshad
on May 21, 2012, 15:30 GMT

Biggest match of the season.....I will support KKR surely.

sh
on May 21, 2012, 15:31 GMT

Gambhir, Shakib & Narine are the key players for KKR. Sehwag & Morkerl are the key players for DD. So, KKR looks stronger. Shakib is very experienced and effective in this sort of pitch i.e. slow pitch of Pune. DD have to be very careful while playing Shakib & Narine. KKR have to be very very careful about Morkel's 4 over. All the best KKR & good luck DD

Shiv
on May 21, 2012, 15:42 GMT

As much as i love GG, i hate KKR. So go DD tomorrow. But the real deal is Sehwag vs Narine, cant wait.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:45 GMT

KKR all the Way......................Bring Lee also in place of MCullum......
Gauti,Bisla,Kallis,Tiwari,Shakib,Pathan,Das,Bhatia,Lee,Narine & Balaji/Abdulla.................
the best team of alll..................

Mohsin
on May 21, 2012, 15:46 GMT

No contest in Pune. KKR will win easily. Narine, Shakib, Abdullah, Pathan. KKR's has world class spin qualities compared to DD although DD has good pace attack but at this pitch of Pune, no contest. Goodbye DD, maybe they can win against Mumbai or Chennai in Chennai's grassy pitch.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:47 GMT

KKR should win this easily. They already played in Pune just couple of days ago and have the right settled team combination for the Pune pitch. DD doesn't have quality spinners with match practice and their pace quartet would just ensure stroke making easier. Interesting battle would be between Viru/Jayawardene vs Narine. The finals would probably be between KKR and CSK.

Dummy4
on May 21, 2012, 15:53 GMT

IRFAN WILL LET BIG BRO WIN

Reagan
on May 21, 2012, 15:56 GMT

its easy to know the outcome for tomorrow's game from predicting from the form guide for both teams. Delhi Daredevils: WLWLW (1 win then a loss)making the next result a LOSS and Kolkata Knight Riders: WWLLW (2 wins then 2 losses) maknig the next result a WIN. Ask me another difficult question please....

ABOUT COOKIES

We use cookies to help make this website better, to improve our services and for advertising purposes. You can learn more about our use of cookies and change your browser settings in order to avoid cookies by clicking here. Otherwise, we'll assume you are OK to continue.